"Progressives mull cabinet with minority party"

"Progressives mull cabinet with minority party"

BELGRADE -- The Progressives (SNS) are "close to the decision" to form a government only with parties of national minorities, writes a newspaper.

This cabinet will also reportedly be made up "mostly of non-partisan experts."

According to the Večernje Novosti daily, the SNS leadership is unlikely to go for a new alliance with the Socialists (SPS), or forge a new one with Boris Tadić's NDS - instead, its main partner will likely be the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM).

If SNS leader Aleksandar Vučić opts for this scenario, such a coalition would have an overwhelming majority of 164 MPs in Serbia's 250-seat parliament.

According to the daily, it is possible that Vučić, as future PM-designate, would offer cabinet positions to "undisputed names from certain areas." In this context, former minister and former Governor of the National Bank of Serbia Kori Udovički is mentioned as somebody the SNS would "gladly see as minister of economy."

The newspaper says that top SNS officials have already spoken "in principle" with Udovički and also with Ivan Vejvoda about their possible engagement in the new government - "but there is no agreement yet for any of them to become ministers."

According to the article, another former minister who could once again join the cabinet is Goran Pitić.

Udovički told the daily Blic on Thursday that she has not yet discussed a ministerial position with anyone. "A lot of people have called and asked about it and I told everybody that there has been no discussion about it. I have not yet received any invitation, or any specific offer," she stated.